Rahul Kanwal, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of NDTV, has been honoured with the IAA Media Person of the Year award, with the senior journalist using the occasion to underline the growing importance of trust in an era increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence-generated content.
Accepting the award, Kanwal described the recognition as an encouragement rather than a culmination of his journey. He credited NDTV's legacy to generations of journalists, camerapersons and other employees who built the news network into one of India's most recognised media brands.
"What matters most isn't the goal, but the audience's trust. For me, that is the only metric that matters. Our job is not to sit on the trust we inherited, but to earn it over and over again every single day," he said.
Kanwal said the rise of AI-generated and synthetic content has made credibility more valuable than ever for news organisations. He stressed that journalism should go beyond sensationalism and simplistic narratives.
"Our responsibility is to explore the shades of grey, reflect the full diversity of public opinion, question those in power and give audiences the information they need to make up their own minds," Kanwal said. He added that journalism should empower audiences rather than shape their opinions.
He also spoke about changing audience behaviour in the age of artificial intelligence, saying trusted news brands would become even more important as AI increasingly becomes the gateway to information. Kanwal concluded by thanking the entire NDTV team as well as viewers for their continued support and confidence in the network.
Congratulating Kanwal after the award presentation, Neeraj Roy, Founder and Managing Director of Hungama Digital Media and an inductee into the IAA Hall of Fame, said the NDTV chief's remarks resonated with the challenges facing the media industry today.
"Rahul spoke about what is happening around us in a way that couldn't be more true. Journalism is an institution and a responsibility. My congratulations to Rahul and his entire team," Roy said.
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